Divers find body of drowning victim

Thursday

Jun 26, 2008 at 12:01 AMJun 26, 2008 at 1:04 AM

Pekin man went for early morning swim in Illinois River and disappeared under the water, witnesses said

Joe Crawford

A team of Peoria rescue divers pulled the body of a 32-year-old Pekin man from the Illinois River Wednesday morning, about nine hours after he disappeared during a late night swim.
The body of Gregory L. Johnson, 13688 First St., was discovered about 9:30 a.m. about 20 feet from the shore near the John T. McNaughton Bridge in Pekin.
Johnson was seen swimming in the area about 12:45 a.m., said Chris Bitner, an investigator with the Pekin police. Witnesses said he bobbed up and down and then disappeared underwater.
Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover said an autopsy Wednesday afternoon showed Johnson drowned. No foul play is suspected.
The Peoria County Underwater Rescue Team first began searching for Johnson at 1:30 a.m. Pekin fire and police departments assisted in the search.
Morning storms delayed the effort about 3:30 a.m., but the search resumed about 8 a.m.
Conover said he could not comment on what might have caused Johnson to drown, but he said his office would investigate the possibility that alcohol was involved.
The area where Johnson was last seen at the foot of Court Street has a reputation as a party spot, Conover said.
"That is a place where it seems like there’s a lot of alcohol consumed," he said.
Conover said it would be at least two weeks before toxicology reports are returned. An inquest will be scheduled at a later date.
A group of witnesses initially shouted for Johnson to get out of the water, Conover said, but the swimmer apparently did not comply. Once it was evident Johnson was in trouble, one of the bystanders jumped in to help but was unsuccessful.
Joe Crawford can be reached at (309) 686-3251 or jcrawford@pjstar.com.